Carlisle read over the letter he‘d received from the Headmaster just moments ago and sat down heavily. He‘d written to Dumbledore only moments after Harry had left and now the Headmaster would be coming over in a few days to speak with them in person about Harry‘s mate – which only proved to Carlisle that it could be nothing good.
The only time Albus ever came to see them was when he had bad news – like the year Harry was attacked by a group of rouge Death Eaters, the day Harry fell off his broom during a Quidditch match and fractured his skull, the night Harry ma- naged to get himself lost in the forbidden forest. Also, that time a group of
Gryffindor boys attacked Harry because he‘d been sorted into Slytherin, which was supposedly the house the Dark Lord who had murdered Harry‘s parents came from.
It hadn‘t been easy for Harry his first year at school. He was sorted into Slytherin house, and while Harry had loved the idea considering his fondness for snakes, he had soon found out that it wasn‘t what was expected of him from his fellow wi- zards. Carlisle had read the papers demanding that their savior be re-sorted, or spreading rumors that he was going dark. The Headmaster had been able to pro- tect Harry from most of the media backlash, but he hadn‘t been able to shield Harry from his peers shunning him or lashing out.
Harry had tried to hide what he was feeling from them, but his letters sent to Ed- ward every day, sometimes multiple times a day, told them exactly how lonely the poor eleven-year-old was, even though he did try to sound happy in them. By Christmas Harry had gotten so homesick the Headmaster had sent him back a week before break even started. Harry had cried those first few nights being home, so heartbroken that no one in his world seemed to like him.
Carlisle hadn‘t wanted to send Harry back, but Dumbledore had insisted that it would only be worse, and would raise a lot of unwanted questions if Harry didn‘t go back. Besides, by the end of the break, Harry‘s love of magic had won out and he was willing to go back and try again. Things seemed to get better after that. Harry made a few acquaintances, but never any real friends, and he spent most of his time studying.
Harry became so good at potions that the Potions Master visited Carlisle personal- ly to ask if he could apprentice him. Carlisle had been reluctant at first,
considering the man seemed so cold and stern, but looking over his shoulder and seeing Harry‘s big green eyes silently pleading with him Carlisle had had no choice but to allow it. A few months later Carlisle received the same request in a letter from Harry‘s Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and that‘s when Carlisle be- gan to understand exactly how powerful his son was.
When Harry would come home for holidays or summer vacation it was easy to see that the boy spent most of his time around adults. He‘d always been mature for his age, but he never spoke of anyone his own age, only Severus, Poppy, Albus, and his defense teacher Tonks. It was Tonks who began to take notice of Harry‘s musical talent, something the Cullens had know about for years, but it was this pink haired lady who had visited Carlisle to speak about Harry actually making music. Once again Carlisle had been reluctant, knowing that it would expose Har- ry even more to the world, but again he was overruled by the then thirteen-year- old‘s big green eyes pleading with him behind his teacher‘s back.
By the time Harry was fourteen he‘d released his first CD and almost overnight Harry Potter‘s fame had spread into the Muggle World. His second and third CDs had barely hit the shelves before they were snatched up, and surprisingly what seemed to add to Harry‘s fame was the fact that he was so reclusive. He didn‘t tra- vel the world doing tours, he didn‘t give interviews very often, and rarely did a magazine shoot. The mystique surrounding Harry Potter only seemed to make them want him even more.
Despite all the fame and attention Harry received, he never once slipped in his grades. He had the top grades of his year, and by the time he graduated had he‘d finished both of his apprenticeships – something that had never been done before by someone so young. On top of doing music, his apprenticeships, and his regular Wizarding schooling, Harry was on the Quidditch team, and each summer he came home, he studied with Edward and Esme to get his high school diploma. Needless to say, Harry had had very little time for making friends.
Carlisle remembered him mentioning one boy a few times during his fifth year though, a Draco Malfoy and fellow Slytherin classmate, but Carlisle didn‘t know what had become of that relationship since Harry had stopped telling them those sort of things in his sixth year. Perhaps this boy was Harry‘s mate then. It was the only possibility Carlisle could think of, but then again why would that have kept Harry from coming home?
Could it be someone here in Forks – but Harry wasn‘t close to anyone here in Forks except for them, and he claimed to have loved this person before, but in a different way. So that meant it could either be a friend or – oh God.
Carlisle had to sit down as his legs threatened to give out on him. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him letting the possibility sink in. It could possibly be one of them… it could be him for all he knew.
Harry had said he, so it was definitely a male, he‘d said that this person wasn‘t gay, and he‘d said they had a lot in common, but that didn‘t really help consider- ing Harry had something in common with each of them. He shared Jasper‘s intense love of learning, Emmett‘s humor, Edward‘s passion, and Carlisle‘s com- passion – although as of lately it didn‘t seem so – but Carlisle understood now that it was just a mask to hide the pain he was in.
Carlisle knew that Harry would never say who his mate was if it was one of them. He would die before he broke any of them up – which sort of ruled out Edward. If it was Edward Harry probably would have said something considering he didn‘t know Bella, but Harry knew Alice, Rosalie, and Esme. He loved them; they were his family. Therefore, Harry would never want to break them apart. Then again, Harry would also never want to force any of them to be with him, which now that Carlisle thought about it only proved Harry‘s compassionate nature.
Carlisle put his face in his hands, and tried to think. This was going to get compli- cated, and ugly, and somebody‘s heart was going to get broken, but hopefully there was a way it could work out. He would just need to wait for Albus to get here so that they could find out what happens to Harry without his mate – but as he heard another song beginning to play from Harry‘s studio, where Edward was still sitting with his unconscious brother, Carlisle thought that he already knew his answer.
It was a haunting song, laced with heartbreak, desperation, and sorrow, and Car- lisle thought he recognized the piano melody as one of Edward‘s.
You never go You're always here
Beneath my skin I cannot run away
Fading slowly Give it all to you Reaching as I fall
It's already over Already over now
My best defense Running to you
I can't resist
Take all you want from me Breaking slowly
Give it all to you Reaching as I fall It's already over now
Loving you again It's already over Already over now
You're what I reach for when I fall It's already over
You're what I reach for when I fall It's already over now